I am so excited about this new song! 5 Little Fish uses finger counting to count backwards from 5. Parents and children can also use hand motions to create gestures while they sing along with the song. When you download the full album you will receive the song, and instrumental track to sing along with with, and a lyric/chord sheet! ENJOY! 5 Little Fish by On A Good Note Read More
Category: Music Therapy
The Weather & Whether or Not to Cancel
Living in Illinois (or anywhere in the midwest) often means coping with unpredictable weather: the kind of weather where one day it is 52 degrees and sunny and the next we have an ice or snowstorm leaving the roads basically impassible. Over a foot of snow is usually a pretty good sign to cancel lessons/sessions, but what about those times where the weather isn’t awful, but it isn’t great? What then? I have a couple ways to cope with situations like these: 1. Let the Family Choose – When in doubt, you can contact them to see what they are comfortable with. If you can make it to work but don’t know if families what to make the trek or go out in the -10 weather, simply ask them what they want to do. I find that families sometimes appreciate a phone call or text message to check-in when these circumstances arise. 2. Listen to Your Gut – Do you feel safe on the roads? Are you uncomfortable going to work in those weather conditions? If you don’t feel Read More
Listen & Learn for Leaders! – Launched TODAY!!!!!!!!!!
I am SO excited to share this news with you today! Since you are reading this, YOU are probably a leader in some fashion and this new series of resources is just for YOU! Over the past few years, I have spent countless hours creating, crafting, recording, and putting into practice my own songs, materials, and session plans. This past year I partnered with Rachel Rambach and together we have been producing even more quality materials and using them in our Early Childhood Groups. Every few weeks, Rachel and I sit down and plan the next session of our Listen & Learn for Little Ones classes. This is one of our favorite parts of the job — we both love brainstorming new songs, choosing how we will address specific goals, and then recording the new music we’ll put to use with our kiddos. But we know that not all leaders like doing that same work. Maybe you are passionate about marketing but not songwriting. Perhaps putting together your curriculum together completely stresses you out, but you are passionate about putting songs into action Read More
We Just Can’t “Let it Go”
It has been quite a while since I have heard a song catch on as well as this one. I completely understand why “Let it Go” it has been banned in some schools. It can be disruptive if one child starts humming the tune and EVERYONE bursts out in song. BUT IT’S JUST SO CATCHY! Even though I’ve sung this song at least 5 times a week for the past few months and I know every word, I’m not quite ready to let it go. This song is golden for so many reasons. When working at the hospital, it has provided me an instant “in” with nearly any child ages 2 – 10. I immediately gain their trust and attention if I start singing their FAVORITE SONG! When a client needs a little extra motivation to complete a task, singing, playing, or watching “Let it Go” serves as a great reward. Recently, I used “Let it Go” in a session with three sisters. We used colorful scarves to dance and encourage specific movements while singing along. One of the girls, Read More
Celebrating 2 Years in Buisness
It’s hard to believe that we are celebrating 2 years in business today! My how time flies and things change. For a recap of year 1 you can check out this post! Year 2 has seen a few changes as well! In the past year I have: Doubled my hours at the hospital Started an email newsletter Updated my business fb page Put out tons of tweets Took on several new clients Blogged every week Put out several new resources Recorded new music Had my first little learners music class Started planning my 2nd little learners music class Had a booth at a local health fair Join the Illinois Association of Music Therapy Executive Board Put together a series on being a traveling MT Was interviewed by MusicTherapyEd.com Presented to 2 hospice agencies AND SO MUCH MORE!! I am thrilled going into this 3rd year! There are so many awesome projects in the works! There are going to be a couple changes happening, but I promise they will all be AMAZING!!! Stay tuned for all the latest happenings and subscribe Read More